COM PETITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1603, 21 November 1912, Page 6

COM PETITIONS.

SEVENTH DAY. CHAMPION CHOIR CONTEST. i . CRITICISMS AND' RESULTS, 1 /.. Owing ;to arrangements having to ; be ; :madc In,the large hall .for the big choir ] contest, yesterday's events of the .New .'Zealand, •• Competitions s'„ Society's/' pro- | gramme were confined: to the Concert 1 ■Chamber .throughout the day. There were, jfeiv -seats.vacant anywhere. There was '.nothing to occupy the judge of the .musical events . (Mr. .Wolf), during the: day, 'but Mi., Montague.(judge -of; elocution) began "early,' and had to remain glued to his seat pretty well throughout the. day, ■to cope with classes .which-came with- ' Pin his sphere of:criticism. .Thcsei : inr (eluded-, a-, prepared reading, a . humorous a character: dialogue, and an imivpromptii debate (judged by.. the Rev. (.Father Hickson and Mr.- .T. 11. Clark). . /-/"Sea./Boat," .an able piece of reflective Ruskin, was set .the competitors iii the prepared reading class, heard v. TheMjumorous' recital offered, amongst other things,: a demonstration of how not to bo humorous, Thcro arb few things more painful to see than the attempts of a . person devoid 'of humorous expression attempting" to': recite something designed to create laughter. ■ Some of the performed in; this class'yesterday suffered from this disability.. There was, however, one brilliant exceptioA—Miss Betty Purdom 1 — nvho recited an excerpt from J. M. Barrie's charming, story, /"The Little Minister." .■ - After. luncheon those present •at the 'Concert .Chamber .were, entertained.with a.riumber of scenes, acted in costume, and .-it proved: to bo one of .the; best classes, in: tho elocutionary section;. Judged from the amateur /standard, / the ■ performances all rouiid. were ■ very satisfying.. ' The scenes, selected by. competitors were appropriate, and there was much sincerity in-the endeavours of those concerned; The first 'scene was one from "Tho Wilderness," presented by Mrs. Keedwell- 'and Mr. Kenneth 'Aitken. The 6cene was not a particularly well-written oner-it contained .repetitions in dialogue, nnd' strained .for - an effect that was not particularly obvious. Miss Ruby : Scott and Mr.'-.Xorinan. Aitken performed tho quarrel seene from-the' '.'School for Scandal," with fair- success, and Miss. ISetty iPurdorn" and Mr;VJ. C. Bell'acted tho iscene between Princo Arthur and Hubert ((Shafepeiire). Miss Purdbm, who picndtil |Tcry prettily, hardly realised the . /dramatic, sebpo. of. the . part, though she was iijways interesting'./ -Mr. - Bell- was. only iilirly ■ convincing as -Hubert. :■ -.->/ , U' ; .The/:siil>3ect'-se.fc ; the-'impromptu .debate was; *'Wliicti-'Exerts the Greatest IriHiuenco on liis - Generation; the : Speaker or itho Writer?" ..The : 'speakers- were ■ given one minute-to collect- their thoughts,- and )four minutes for speech. T HE RESULTS: " ffe-ThV'fresiiltg. of. the various contests were' • ;jss • .' Prepared' Reading. 1 [Prepared-Reading ■'. (ladies,, and gentlemen) r,:-: v .-_Test ■ Piece;. "A;- Sea' 'Bdat"',(ftuskin). 'First Prize, .£1; second, 10s.;' third, '~/ .certificate..''-. ', ■/'. ... ■ Mr.," S;' Orr,' Waikaka; Miss jjD/jlanchsCr'd, Wellington;' Miss I. Har- - IgreavesyWellington';' .- Miss Mi .Prentice, 'Stratford';'-Miss E..' Mr' M'Eldowney, Wei-; lihgtoh ;. -iriss :-8.-' Purdom,. 'Island '.'Bay j. Mrs. .Cairns,':Maste'rton; Mr..- J. C./ Bell,. Hutt j-Miss' IJ. Churchill; Dunedin; Mr."Byi'on-'Bi;6wn,:otaki; Mr. Arthur T. Perry, -Kilbirnic; Miss-'Belle Luke, Wellington'; Mr/ H.: B. rCooper,:.Wellington; Miss-Ethel M. Phipps, Wellington; Miss, G;:i)^-Shepherd,. Wellington; Mr. -C. -A., K Treailwelli' Lower Hutt; Mr. J. Spil-' liin'e, Wellington. ■ , ' Churchill, Mr. Byron Brown,' '.and Mr. Spillane. Commended— jSliss'es ; Purdbm,and Shepher3, and.Messrs.. ißSlljj'aud. Cooper.' ' . .' ; : : Mr. Byron Brown'(l4l marks); |2,-' Miss Clnirchill- (i3S liifaife) 1 ;, '3,';' Mr. (13G marks). . The judge (Mr. Montague) expressed liis 'disappointment with the standard of read- , was not very high. The readying. .was-a'prepared reading: and, thereSoreiit: did iiiot come ; to the readers as a ;sight'reading. A higher standard. then 'might''-havebeen. looked for. :It was■ jefgrettable that thMess ; experienced readers ih'adfnot aiclasg.'to'ttoenjselvesii As. it was rthej A had.to/'rome in with the more cx-' fp.erien'ec'dy - and-'-that' being so' he 'would 'ay that they , did -remarkably well. j,:' -Humorous Recital.- ' SHumorous' Recital .(ladies);' own selection. J.-.,/"First ,-ErlM,": ,£2|.'second,/"ifil; third,. certificate. ' " '■ fc/ Entrants—Miss -Ethpl'.Churchill, Dunedin; Miss-. Melba; Prentice ("The Usual .Way"),":'Stratfor(l; f , .Miss ; Amy Bender ("ThO'Bride's First Call on the Butcher"), Wellington ; Miss' Christine 'L. E. A'elson ('-A Storal Vindicator"), Wellington;, Miss Ivy Hargreaves,- Wellington-; .-Ifiss -Dorothy.'B'anchard 'f'l l .'and?Slj;:;Patlier.iiiLaw"),.. Wellington j-i-Miss-.--Tessa .••< Reading ("A Trip to>Blackpobl'<), ; -Wellington; Miss jy.-llaribn If'Eldow.uey, Wollingtoii; Miss Betty Purdom ("The Tw'a' Teste"). Island Bay; sliss Paulino Brown ("Jemimy gparkin'Otaki; Miss A. ,M. Moller, Wellington. Rccalls—Misses Purdom, Blanch)ard, .and 3iwn. ' ~ ' Result.—l, Miss B. Purdom.flW marks); •G,' Mifes P. "Brbwh (1.18 marks); - 3, . Miss (13-i marks). " "/• ■ . ! ■ Character Dialogue, dialogue,'dramatic or pathetic. owii selecf "• tiojj',..;a character... Time limit, .20 V Y/- miiiutes..' Costunies : and accessories //•-/permitted. First prize, £2; second, M; third, certificate. . - ioEntrantsf-Mr;' Kenneth Aitken and Mrs. S: .Keedwell (scene from "The Wilderness"), levin; Miss.Ruby Scott and Mr. Norman Aitken ("Quarrel:"'Sceile'''.''from'. School for Wellington; ~Mr. .Tas. Citjford Bell and Misssßotty Purdom ("Hubert and Arthur"), Wellington..' , j Recalls—Mr. Aitken and-, Mrs. Keedwell pnil Mr.:J. CV Bell and Miss Purdom. J Result—l, Jfr. J. G. Belt'anu Jliss Putdora (150 marks); 2, Mr.' Aitken 'and' Mrs .; jEoedwell (140 marks). t .:. Impromptu Debate. impromptu Debate.—Opeii to amateurs, /. only; . Entries to be.'in pairs, each :v- pail- to define at thoktime of .en'ti'y :■■: which of the speakers shall take the affirmative and negative of, tlie propo- ;.. sition respectively. Thesubject to.be . handed to the speaker in the affirma- | ' tra, who shall be allowed one minute .to mentally prepare his argument and four ;to advance it. ' The speaker ir, '/ the negative to start liis argument ~ - immediately liis .' opponent Ms finished, and to be allowed four" minutes. The first speaker to follow immediately »'/•' with a reply, not- to exceed two min- / utes. First prize, silver challenge shield,, presented by . Stewart, Daw- •; son and Co.. Ltd., and ,£3; second, £2; third, certificate. . Entrants—Messrs.- Butcher and M'Gov-. im, Wellington; Mr. Cornish and Sir. 0. C. Srajlengarb, Wellington; Messrs. A. L. Ttpadwell and J. Stevenson, Vellington; Messrs; ■-Wat.=on arid. F; Hallf Jones, Wellington; Mr. Burt and' Mr. T. .iAuton, 'Wellington. ,'!■ - Recalls—Messrs. Butcher and Jf'Gor:>era,''and H. Hi Cornish and O. C. Mazengarb.' ; ; Result.—l,'3lessrs.9Butcher nnd M'Gov:'prn (177 marks);-2,'/Messrs. Cornish and' ■jMazengarb (169 marks). ' CHCRCII CHOIR CONTEST. (Grand Church Choir Contest—Three Tests: ■ / (a) "Great is the Depth," chorus from St. Paul, _ Mendelssohn. (Novollo.) ■ ••' (b) Hymii A. and M. 2GG, "Lead; Kindly Light." (c)* "Bail Bright Abode," fj'om Tannhauibr, For 20 or more voices 'exclusive of conductor. First prize, Challenge Shield, present- :■ ed by Charles JBegg.and Co., and i second, JtW; third (if six choirs comi pete), JZS.. . . /Entrants—Feildinn Wesley CU-qir, Feild- : /ng; Grafton Road Methodist Choir, Auckland. ■ Result—l, Grafton Road Choir (132 /marks); 2, Feilding Wesley Choir, (121 marks).